It Has Nothing To Do With Pigs
by Emiiily
Summary: Lorelai gets swine flu...oh I wonder who could possibly take care of her. Two shot, rating subject to change.
1. Chapter 1

**So a new story here, it's pretty random really and I have no idea where I got the plot from but hey, my imagination is running wild. Lorelai gets swine flu and there's only one person to take care of her...JAVAJUNKIE :D Set in season 1 after the double date episode where he nearly asked her out, if wasn't for that damn Mrs Kim interrupting them **** please enjoy!**

Lorelai trudged into the diner after a long day at the inn. She'd been answering calls, dealing with snotty customers and she'd done it all with only one cup of coffee in her system. She needed her fix. She dumped her bag on the stool next to hers and dropped onto it, resting her elbows on the counter, her hands cradling her chin.

"You look happy," Luke commented.

"Gee thanks," she murmured before starting to cough violently, gaining some glances from other customers.

"I think that's unsanitary," grumbled Luke.

"I think there's nothing you can do about it," she retorted.

"You okay?" he asked as she broke out into another coughing fit.

"I'm fine, I just need coffee," she replied grouchily.

"You're sick," he stated.

"No I'm not, I'm perfectly healthy. Now give me coffee," she demanded.

"You shouldn't have coffee if you're sick."

"I'm not sick!"

"Yeah you've got a cold or something," he said. "Maybe it's that flu that's going round you know, err...what's it called?"

"I do not have swine flu," she snapped. "I coughed twice, there's no need to put me on bed rest for a week." She looked at the counter. "Why isn't there a cup of coffee in front of me right now?"

"Cause you're sick and you're not getting any coffee. Now I suggest you go home before you infect my customers."

"But Luuuuke, I need coffee," she fake-sobbed.

"No, go home and rest," he ordered. She stared into his blue eyes, trying to break him but he stood his ground. He pointed in the direction of her house and she sighed in defeat.

"Okay I'll go home but I'm not going to bed. I'm gonna sit on the couch and watch movies with Rory all night."

"Stay away from Rory," he warned.

"Err...newsflash, she's my kid and you can't tell me to stay away from her."

"If you do have this flu, you'll give it to Rory. I'm sure you don't want Rory to get swine flu do you?" he asked mockingly. She scowled at him.

"Fine, I will get Rory to sleep at Lane's tonight."

"Good girl." He was gonna pat her head but every time he went near her was awkward for him, never mind touching her, that was taking it too far.

"So I'm supposed to sit at home by myself all week? No one to talk to, no one to look after me," she listed.

"If you really are sick, I'll make sure you're well looked after. I'll pick up your medication or whatever and bring food round for you."

"You would do that for me?" she asked, jokingly putting a hand to her heart, pretending to be touched. Luke shrugged again and began to wipe down the counter. "So I guess I should be going," she sighed.

"Yup, here." He put a to go cup in front of her and her eyes lit up. That was until she took a sip and found it was peppermint tea.

"Eww gross," she complained.

"It'll make you feel better," he assured. "The peppermint settles your stomach."

"I want coffee," she said, sounding like a spoiled child who didn't get what they want.

"Sorry, no can do." She narrowed her eyes at him, coughed a few times, then dragged herself out of the diner and got in her jeep to drive home. Rory was sitting on the couch waiting for her when she got in.

"Hey, you're back later than usual," she said from her position on the uncomfortable upholstery.

"I stopped at Luke's," she informed.

"Ooh coffee, did you get me some?" she asked.

"Oh no, it isn't coffee. It's, are you ready for it?"

"What?"

"It's peppermint tea," she said in exasperation.

"Whoa, what is wrong with you?"

"No it's not what's wrong with me, it's what's wrong with Luke. He thinks I'm sick cause I coughed a couple of times and now he refuses to give me coffee," she sulked.

"Now you mention it, you do look a little flushed. Do you feel warm?" she asked in concern.

"A little but you've got the thermostat on right?"

"No," she replied. "It's quite chilly in here actually."

"Luke thinks I have swine flu," she mumbled.

"What? Mom that's really contagious," Rory said worriedly.

"I know but I don't think I actually have it."

"You never know, you could have picked it up at the inn or at your business class."

"Yeah well I don't have it."

"Hey I know you'll probably wanna watch movies and stuff tonight but I think I'm gonna stay at Lane's," she said, making her way to her room.

"But...damn it, not you too."

"Mom I don't wanna get the flu, I have school and stuff to think about."

"I know, I don't want you to get the flu either and you won't because I don't have it."

"Well I'll stay at Lane's tonight anyway. You get some rest and see how you're feeling in the morning."

"Yes mom."

"And if you have achey muscles, nausea or any other symptoms, call that helpline thingy to check if you have it."

"Okay," she grumbled. Rory zipped her backpack up and walked into the foyer.

"Feel better soon okay?"

"Yes," Lorelai replied.

"Get some rest," she ordered.

"Yes," she repeated.

"And eat something."

"Okay you're going now." Lorelai pushed her daughter out of the front door and watched her walk across the lawn and round the corner out of sight. When she thought about it, she did feel off. She hadn't really felt like eating much at all that day, something very unusual for Lorelai, and she felt sluggish, like she just wanted to collapse and not move anywhere. She padded upstairs and changed into a tank top and shorts, she was burning up. She pulled back her duvet and climbed under the sheets, falling back into her pillow and letting out a long sigh. Luke was right, she was sick. Why else would Lorelai Gilmore be in bed at seven thirty on a Thursday night?

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The next morning, Lorelai woke early, way too early for her liking. She sat up, trying to figure out what had woken her at such an ungodly hour when she felt something twist in her stomach. She put her hand to her belly while the other went to her mouth, trying to wish away the nauseasness she was feeling at the moment but it was there to stay. She slowly pushed back the sheets and rushed to the bathroom where she proceeded to throw up for the next twenty minutes.

After her intense visit with the toilet, Lorelai crawled back into her bedroom and pulled herself into bed. She felt awful, it was the worst feeling she'd had in her life. She propped herself up with a few pillows to prevent her nausea from returning then closed her eyes, willing sleep to take her over. It took an hour and a half but she finally fell asleep, a light, uncomfortable slumber.

XXXX

Luke padded up the porch steps to Lorelai's house. He had been worrying about her all night as he had heard horror stories about the disease. At one point, about two fifteen that morning, he had the urge to visit her, just to make sure she was doing okay. But he resisted that urge and instead lay in silence, just staring at the ceiling for the next two or three hours till he had to be awake.

Now it was finally a reasonable hour and he had come to check up on her. He tried the door handle and found it unlocked, not that he was surprised. He didn't want to startle her so he called her name but when she didn't answer, he panicked a little inside. He took the steps two at a time and cautiously stepped towards her bedroom. He had never been in Lorelai Gilmore's bedroom before and to be honest, it was his dream come true.

He poked his head round the door and saw her sleeping soundly, her Hello Kitty sheets wrapped around her. He cautiously stepped closer to the bed and stopped to examine her. She looked beautiful when she slept, even when she was sick. He carefully tucked the blankets more tightly around her arms when he saw she had goosebumps and she began to stir a little.

"Who's there?" she mumbled.

"Shh it's just me, Luke," he whispered, smoothing her hair away from her face.

"Luke..." she said, her eyes still closed as she was still half asleep. "You shouldn't be here, I gots the pig flu," she sighed.

"You know swine flu has nothing to do with pigs?" he asked.

"Huh who really cares when you feel this terrible?"

"Want me to get you something?"

"Go," she said while clearing her throat.

"What?"

"If you stay here you'll catch it too and I wouldn't inflict this feeling on anyone so please, go home."

"I'm not leaving you alone like this, you can hardly open your eyes, never mind move."

"But you'll be contaminated too," she protested.

"I had the vaccination," he shrugged. "Now what do you need?" Lorelai smiled in her half slumber.

"Sleep," she mumbled.

"Okay, get some rest, I'll be here." He heard her breathing even out and debated whether to kiss her cheek or not. He decided against it; he was just her friend, not her boyfriend, no matter how hard he wished for it. Plus he wasn't about to take advantage of her while she was sick, he wasn't that guy. He made sure she was tucked nice and warm in bed then crept downstairs to make her some soup. She had to eat something.

Just as he was placing the bowl of soup on a tray, he heard the front door open and Rory's voice could be heard.

"Mom?" she called as she walked further into the house.

"Shh," said Luke, appearing in front of her. "She's asleep."

"What are you doing here?" she asked curiously.

"Well I know your mom's sick so I came to see if she needed anything," he shrugged, seeming nervous somehow.

"Does she actually have swine flu?" she asked, feeling bad for her mother.

"I think so. She was asleep when I came in earlier and she isn't feeling too great," he replied.

"You know it's contagious right? If you're here, you'll probably catch it too," she warned.

"Had the vaccination. She needs someone to take care of her, she can hardly move." Rory eyed him knowingly. It was obvious that Luke had a thing for Lorelai but it was times like these, when he was really there for her and her mom, that she realised he would do anything for her, even if his own life was put at risk.

"Okay well I'm just gonna grab some clothes and books then I'll be out of your hair." She made her way to her room and began collecting some stuff together.

"Rory have you eaten?" he asked from his place in the kitchen.

"No I'm gonna grab something on the way to school," she replied as she walked into the kitchen with a bag slung over her shoulder.

"How much time you got?"

"About fifteen minutes," she said, glancing at her watch.

"I'll make you some pancakes, you can take them with you." Rory smiled.

"Really? And coffee too?" she asked causing Luke to roll his eyes.

"Yes I'll make you some coffee."

"Thanks Luke, you're the best." She grinned then went into her room to change into her school uniform. When she emerged, there were some pancakes wrapped in napkin, along with a a thermos filled with coffee. "Wow thanks," she said gratefully, taking a sip from the coffee.

"You're welcome, who else is gonna keep you fed?"

"Good point." They heard violent coughing coming from the first floor so Luke excused himself.

"You get off to school, I'll take care of her," he promised.

"Thanks Luke, tell mom I love her and I'm thinking of her," she said to his retreating form.

"I will." Rory grinned as she watched him quickly climb the stairs, taking two at a time. He was a truly genuine guy, she thought.

"Hey you okay?" Luke asked as he entered her bedroom cautiously. She had taken to sneezing every few seconds now, the coughing having subsided. She opened her mouth to speak but another sneeze escaped from within her, preventing her from doing so. Instead she just nodded. "You don't seem it, are you hungry?" he asked.

"No," she choked out.

"You have to eat something Lorelai, I made soup." Lorelai shook her head quickly in protest.

"No thanks," she mumbled, collapsing back into her pillow with a loud sigh. Luke frowned at her refusal to eat, there was definitely something wrong with her.

"Can I get you anything to drink?"

"That pepperminty stuff you gave me would be good," she said with a half smile at his concern. "Please?" she added. Luke was genuinely surprised; Lorelai Gilmore just asked him to make her peppermint tea, he thought he'd never see the day.

"Coming right up. I'll have to go to Doose's but I won't be gone long," he promised. "Is there anything else you need while I'm there?" Lorelai didn't answer. Instead she jolted up in bed, her hand flying up to cover her mouth as she felt the overwhelming urge to vomit. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"I...I don't feel so good," she mumbled, feeling it rising inside of her.

"Can you move?" he asked frantically, wanting to prevent having to clean anything up. She shook her head quickly, leaving Luke at a loss. "Uh..."

"Oh god," she muttered as it almost reached her throat.

"It's okay," he soothed. He thought fast and gathered her in his arms, rapidly heading for the bathroom. He settled her down in front of the toilet and proceeded to hold her hair back as she emptied the contents of her stomach, not that there was much in there seeing as she'd hardly eaten in the last day or so. Luke unconsciously rubbed her back as she choked and gasped for air through it all. Once she thought it was over, she fell back into Luke, her body shaking with sobs.

"I'm such a mess," she cried, covering her face with her hands.

"Shh no you're not," he whispered, close to her ear.

"You're just saying that to make me feel better," she sniffled.

"Lorelai you're not a mess, you're beautiful," he told her softly. Her head turned to look at him briefly before quickly breaking her stare.

"Thank you," she mumbled.

"Anytime," he replied, gently stroking her hair and twisting her locks around his fingers. "Ready to go back to bed?" he asked.

"Dirty," she said with a tired smile. Luke rolled his eyes overdramatically.

"Some things never change," he said while shaking his head. "Come on." He scooped her up in his arms and took her back to her bedroom. He placed her carefully on the bed and tucked the covers around her, making sure she was comfortable. Lorelai watched him carefully as he completed the task then smiled up at him shyly.

"Why are you doing this for me?" she asked curiously. She didn't know anyone that would be willing to risk catching swine flu just to make sure their friend was comfortable enough. Even Rory had disappeared, not that she was complaining. She'd never forgive herself if she gave her sixteen year old swine flu. She heard Luke exhale before revealing his answer.

"Because I care about you," he replied, feeling a little uneasy admitting that to her. He hoped she didn't take it the wrong way, not that it would be wrong exactly, after all he did have feelings for her. He just didn't want to admit them to her just yet, or ever for that matter.

"Okay," she replied sleepily. She tried to act nonchalant but inside she was questioning his comment. Did he mean he cared for her as a friend or something more? There had been that moment between them just a couple of nights ago where she swore he was gonna ask her out. Curse Mrs Kim and her overprotective ways for interrupting them. If she hadn't have walked into the diner at that moment, maybe her and Luke would be dating right now. Well not RIGHT now, she did have swine flu after all.

"You gonna go back to sleep?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah, might have some soup when I wake up," she gave a small smile.

"Good," he whispered. "I'll make sure to warm some up for you."

"Thanks Luke," she said gratefully. "You're being really good to me."

"That's what friends are for," he shrugged. He leaned down and left a feather-light kiss on her forehead before drawing back to see her eyes were closed. He was pretty sure she was sleeping. She wasn't though, she'd just closed her eyes to escape the possible awkwardness of his actions. The term 'friends' was starting to seem like an understatement.

Luke backed towards the chair by her closet and dropped onto it quietly. He hated seeing her like this, in so much pain and the fact that he couldn't stop it or do anything to make her feel better was eating at him. He was Mr Fix-it. He would fix her porch rail, her leaky sink and her clogged garbage disposal, hell sometimes he could even fix her broken heart. But this was out of his hands, he was useless and he hated that. He watched her sleep for some time. He wasn't sure how long he sat there but became aware of it when she drifted into consciousness again.

"Feeling a little better?" he asked as he moved over to the bed and perched on the edge.

"Not really," she replied as she tried to sit up. Luke saw her struggle and was quick to assist. He propped up a few pillows and carefully lowered her body to them, grasping her shoulders to support her.

"Better?"

"A little, thank you."

"You're welcome." They stared at each other awkwardly for a few moments before Lorelai cleared her throat.

"I'm starved," she complained after hearing her stomach growl at her.

"Want that soup now?"

"Mmm yes please," she hummed greedily. "A little bread to dunk in it too."

"Yes ma'am. Would you like some water to go with that?"

"Yeah that'd be good, thanks Burger Boy." Luke nodded briefly before leaving the room. Lorelai sat up in bed, hardly moving because her body was preventing her from doing so. She felt so helpless and dependant. She had never been like this. She was independant and that is how she liked things to be. She didn't need anyone else to help her live her life, as long as she had Rory, her life was perfect. She did admit though, having a man care for her so much felt nice, especially since it was Luke.

Luke returned to her room with the tray he had set up earlier, the warmed up soup sitting in a bowl, ready to be eaten. He found her in the exact same position, staring at the wall ahead of her. She looked like she was tracing the pattern of the wallpaper with her eyes, following it's every contour until she reached the end. She was snapped out of her daydream by the sound of Luke clearing his throat.

"This looks good," she complimented as she peered into the bowl and licked her lips. "What soup is it?"

"Chicken noodle," he replied.

"Yummy, thank you," she smiled appreciatively as he set the tray down in her lap. She ate a few spoonfuls before looking up at him curiously. "So don't you have to be at the diner?" she asked. Luke shrugged.

"Caesar's got it covered," he replied.

"Are you sure?" she asked, wondering what had happened to the Luke she knew. That Luke wouldn't leave the diner for so long just to take care of her, sure he'd send her food over and check in on her on his breaks, but never while he was supposed to be on shift.

"Positive," he said surely. "Now eat, you need to keep your strength up." Lorelai smiled weakly before spooning some more soup into her mouth. She drained her bowl and took a few sips of water before smiling gratefully at Luke.

"That was delicious, thank you."

"Your welcome, need anything else?"

"Hmm coffee," she mumbled dreamily.

"No way," he said immediately.

"But I'm dying for some, please it'll make me feel better, please, pleaaase?"

"No," he said sternly. "It'll make you feel worse, you're best sticking to water and maybe orange juice."

"Pleaaase?" she tried again, pouting for added effect.

"No, stop bugging me about it," he warned. "You're not getting any coffee."

"So unfair," she sulked.

"You'd better get used to it, you're not having a drop of coffee till this virus is out of your system. You're looking at a week, week and a half maybe."

"Why are you doing this to me?"

"Because I care about you," he replied, his voice softening significantly. "I'm just trying to make you feel better."

"Dirty," she chuckled. "Oh god, I feel nauseaus again. How long does this go on for? It's like being pregnant, but about ten times worse."

"Maybe if you stop talking for a few moments, you might feel better," he suggested. She smirked at him before rubbing her stomach soothingly.

"I think I'm gonna throw up again," she mumbled, her heart beginning to beat faster.

"Uh...we'd better get you into the bathroom," he said, more to himself than to her. He pulled back her duvet, but she put her hand on his wrist, stopping him from pulling it any further.

"I can't make it to the bathroom," she managed to choke out before her stomach emptied all over her duvet cover. Luke acted fast and brought the small bin she kept in her bedroom over, shoving it into her lap. Once she had stopped vomiting, she smiled up at Luke weakly. "Sorry you have to see this," she said sincerely.

"Don't worry about it, you can't help it," he shrugged off.

"But surely it's grossing you out."

"Got a strong stomach," he replied, patting his hard, toned belly proudly. Lorelai couldn't help but let her eyes linger over that flannel covered area for a moment, marvelling at how good it looked, even covered by the material, she could see that his healthy eating habits had paid off. Then she pulled herself away from those thoughts. This was Luke, her friend Luke, she couldn't be thinking about how gorgeous he looked. "I'm gonna change your duvet," he said as he began to strip it off the bed.

"Okay, it does smell a bit doesn't it?" she stated, the smell was actually making her feel nauseaus again but she didn't tell Luke this time.

"Yeah, I'll get it in the machine and put a little extra powder in," he chuckled. "Will you be okay up here by yourself?"

"Yeah I'll be fine, go do what you have to do." She watched him scoop the linen up, careful to avoid the icky part, then walked towards the door. "Thanks Luke," she called after him.

"No problem," he replied. He was actually glad he could spend time alone with her, even if he did have to watch her throw up and wash her sheets afterwards. He stuffed the soilet duvet cover in the washing machine and switched it on before searching the various closets and storage spaces in the Crap Shack for a new set. He eventually found a Hello Kitty cover and took it upstairs to re-make her bed.

But when he got there, she was fast asleep, laid in the weirdest sleeping position he had ever seen. It was kinda sexy actually, and he had to try with all his might not to let his body react. He quickly slipped the duvet inside the cover, and laid it over his sick friend to keep her warm. She shifted positions slightly, but didn't wake up, so Luke leaned down and left a gentle kiss on her cheek.

"Luke," she mumbled in a sleep-induced haze. She hadn't opened her eyes so he wasn't sure if she was aware she was speaking or not.

"What?" he replied cautiously, wondering what she was gonna say.

"You're a really great guy, I'm lucky to have you," she said before going completely silent again. Luke felt himself smiling, blushing at the same time. Maybe the week ahead would hold great things for the two of them, and their future. He could only hope.

**The rating may go up on this, I'm not sure yet...probably to T but depending on what I feel like when I write the next chapter, it might be M. But we'll just have to wait and see. This is going to be a two shot, so please review this one and you'll get to see what's in store for the rest of their week while Lorelai's sick. :D hope you like the idea too, I don't think it's been done before.**

**Emily.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys, I'm really sorry that it took me so long to post the second part to this. I hope you are all still willing to read and that you will review **** enjoy this smutty number. **

"How are you feeling?" Luke asked as he settled on the edge of the bed. Lorelai had had the swine flu for four days now, and she didn't really show any signs of improvement, well, she had regained the ability to talk a mile a minute, but that was very normal for her.

"Like I ate chicken that was a month out of date," she murmured. She flipped onto her back and stared up at Luke. "How much longer?" she whined. "I hate feeling this way." Luke frowned, he still wasn't happy that he couldn't do anything to make her feel better.

"You can have some more tamiflu in a little while," he allowed. "Did it help the last time?" Lorelai shook her head.

"It didn't do anything," she replied. "Made me feel worse." Luke reached over and brushed her curly hair away from her face. He'd been doing it a lot in the last few days, usually he wasn't aware that he'd really touched her, and only she was subject to the awkwardness his tender actions were causing. Lorelai avoided eye contact with him while his fingers ran across her forehead; she was too much of a coward to look him in the eye.

"You're getting some colour back into your cheeks, that's a good sign right?" She nodded distractedly. "Anyway, I'm gonna get back downstairs, I'll let you get back to...whatever it was you were doing before I came in." He stood up, but Lorelai reached out and grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Don't leave," she pleaded. "I'm fed up of being up here by myself, I need company." Luke swallowed thickly, but quickly nodded and sat back on the bed. "Come over here, you feel like you're ages away when you sit all the way over there."

"What do you want me to do, get in the bed with you?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow jokingly.

"If you want," she shrugged, but quickly realised that she shouldn't have agreed so quickly. Why was she suddenly having all these feelings about her best friend and coffee supplier? In the past they had bantered, flirted, talked until their mouths wouldn't move anymore, but just lately, she'd been finding herself watching what she says around him. Luke shuffled around so he was facing the same direction she was, then moved up towards the headboard and settling against a pillow. "You want some sheets?" she asked, offering him one side of her Hello Kitty set.

"I'm okay," he assured her. "I'll stay like this." It was bad enough that he was horizontal on her bed; he knew he wouldn't be able to control himself if he shared the sheets with her as well. They were silent for a few minutes, as both parties went off into their own thoughts.

"Hey Luke?" Lorelai asked, breaking the silence that had fallen between them.

"Hmm," he hummed.

"Do you remember that night in the diner when Sookie and Jackson were on their first date?" she asked tentatively. Luke took a sharp intake of breath, trying to do it as silently as possible, but Lorelai heard it anyway.

"Yeah," he answered monosyllabically. He knew that if he spoke in sentences, things he had vowed to keep to himself would come sailing out, and he didn't want to jeopardise their friendship like that.

"Um...you know we were playing cards and having a good time," she said. "And then you started to say something, but Mrs Kim came barrelling through the door in some psychotic frenzy?" She knew what he was going to ask her, in fact, her expression had changed to one of shock rapidly as soon as the words 'you and I' were used. Luke looked at the ceiling, pretending to be placing that night in his head. He remembered it like the back of his hand, though he wasn't about to admit that to her.

"I remember," he said with a small nod. He noticed Lorelai shift next to him, and didn't dare look her way. She turned onto her side with her palm cradling her head as she looked at him curiously.

"What were you gonna say?" she asked. She had made it sound like she had absolutely no idea what he might have been gearing himself up to ask her that evening, and she found herself smiling slightly at the fact that she'd hidden any feelings she may have about it. Luke cleared his throat nervously.

"I was gonna ask you, um...if you, um..." he trailed off, trying to get a hold of himself. 'This is it,' Lorelai thought. 'He's finally gonna ask me, god I know what the answer's gonna be.'

"If I what?" she asked leadingly. She could already hear the smile in her voice, and cursed silently at how pathetic she sounded. Luke tilted his head so he was looking at her, and smiled softly.

"If you wanted to um...play for money," he finished lamely. Lorelai could feel her face fall at his admission. Was he actually serious?

"Play for money?" she asked, trying to recover from her disappointment so she sounded normal. Luke hesitated for the slightest second.

"Yeah," he said.

"Oh." She tried to sound like she was fine, but she wasn't really sure it came out that way. "Well I would have, um...I would have said yes," she told him, suddenly feeling nervous herself. Luke glanced at the ceiling, focussing on one particular spot as he tried to decipher the meaning of what she'd just said.

"You would have said yes to the money thing?" he asked, just to make sure he was hearing her right. Lorelai nodded, but realised he wasn't actually looking at her.

"To the money thing, yeah," she confirmed. Luke could hear her voice wavering, she was never a good liar; he of all people knew that about her.

"Good," he said, not knowing what else to say to her. Had she just implied what he thought she had? He found himself wondering if she knew the real answer to her question all along, had she figured it all out? He knew he'd made himself pretty obvious in the past through his actions, and he was also aware that everyone in town knew about his feelings, even Rory. But he always thought that Lorelai was oblivious to it all, and he hoped it'd stay that way to avoid rejection on his part.

"So um...I'm pretty tired," she said after a couple of moments of silence. She faked a yawn to make it seem more believable and stretched her arms above her head.

"Okay, I'll leave you to it then," said Luke, suddenly feeling the awkwardness that had filled the air and was circulating around them. "Do you think you'll be hungry when you wake up?"

"Probably," she guessed.

"Okay, I'll go check on things at the diner and bring you food back." He was standing at the side of her bed now as he looked down at her.

"Sounds good," she sighed before closing her eyes. She sensed Luke was still standing there at least thirty seconds after she'd pretended to fall asleep, and it made her feel a bit uncomfortable, but it also made her stomach flutter. She was very confused about her feelings right now. Luke finally left a whole forty five seconds after she'd gone to sleep, and trudged down the stairs slowly. He couldn't believe that they'd just had that conversation, he had been avoiding that particular one for the last four days, and he thought she'd have forgotten about it by now. But nothing escapes the mind of Lorelai Gilmore.

Lorelai lay in bed, completely wide awake. She'd heard his heavy footsteps on the stairs and her eyes flew open the second he reached the ground floor. She rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling; what had just happened? She had no idea why she even asked him in the first place, it was one of the many thoughts that she couldn't stop from tumbling out of her mouth. Seems like the vomiting had turned into word vomit; she'd much rather go back to hovering over the toilet.

If it wasn't bad enough that she'd asked him the question in the first place, she'd pushed him further to get more information out of him. She wouldn't be surprised if Luke didn't return to her house again, especially after hearing how pathetic she had sounded as she practically begged him to ask her out. Hell, she'd even told him that she'd say yes, granted, he thought she meant to the whole playing for money thing, well she assumed he did anyway.

She was very confused right now, and her jumbled mind mixed with a banging headache and a queasy stomach wasn't a good combination, at all. So as she felt the familiar fluttering inside of her, she dragged herself out of bed and hurried in the direction of the bathroom, proceeding to empty the contents of her stomach for the next quarter of an hour. She had it bad.

XXXX

Day five was pretty much the same as day four, as was day six. But when day seven of the dreaded disease came around, Lorelai felt more like herself again. Her eyes fluttered open at seven thirty, and she did her usual morning stretch and wake up routine; it was the closest thing she did to exercise. She slipped out of bed and went to the window, flinging the curtains open and smiling at the sun that shone back at her. Maybe the flu decided to go hit on somebody else.

She made a pot of coffee in the kitchen, and as it was boiling, she strolled out into her front yard in her fluffy slippers and down to her mailbox, which had been emptied by Luke on a daily basis. She'd seen the various envelopes on the side table next to the phone, and planned to open them whenever she could be bothered. Right now all she wanted was the morning paper.

After she'd eaten half a pop tart and wrapped the rest up for later, she gulped down her coffee then made her way upstairs to take a shower. God she needed one. She felt the remains of her illness washing away as she stood under the hot spray. She let it run through her damp mass of hair and down her back for a while, just embracing the fact that she felt good again, before she methodically began to massage shampoo into her luscious curls, that were in dire need of some TLC.

XXXX

Luke was late to her house today, the diner was unusually busy for a Friday morning and he'd had to deal with the patrons until Caesar came in. As soon as the chef made it through the door, Luke tossed his apron at him; picked up the tray of scrambled eggs he'd prepared, and left the diner, heading in the general direction of the Crap Shack.

He entered the house quietly in case she was still sleeping; it wasn't an irregular occurrence after all. He went into the kitchen and unwrapped the eggs, before picking up a knife and fork before trudging up the stairs. He had a bit of a shock when he noticed she wasn't in bed, and quickly put the tray on the nightstand so he didn't drop it. He hoped she was okay.

He walked back out of her bedroom and across the landing, noticing that the bathroom door was open a crack. He immediately pictured her hunched over the toilet throwing her guts up without anyone to hold her hair back for her; he didn't want her to have to go through that. So he did what any caring friend would do, he stepped towards the bathroom and pushed the door open, not anticipating what he was about to find in the steam-filled room.

"Oh my god," Lorelai shrieked as she stepped out of the shower. She had not anticipated that Luke would walk in the bathroom while she was climbing out of the tub, completely naked by the way.

"Lorelai, I'm so sorry," he apologised profusely as he covered his eyes with his hand. He winced slightly at how he'd made their situation even more awkward, he knew he should have knocked first. Lorelai quickly reached for her towel and wrapped it around her dripping wet body, as she continued to stand next to the tub.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, a hint of anger in her voice.

"I came to make sure you were okay," he explained, raising his voice a little to match hers. "I thought you'd be expecting me, seeing as I've been coming around every day for the last week."

"I mean what are you doing _in here_?" she corrected herself.

"Well I noticed you weren't in your bed and I got a little worried," he shouted, now in full on rant mode. "So I noticed the bathroom door was open and assumed you were throwing up, and I thought, oh she'll probably need help holding her hair back. But no, you just shower with the door open then blame other people when they walk in on you. I'm sorry that I care so much about you, I'm sorry I was so worried about you that I spent every hour of every god damn day round your house taking care of you, and trying to make you feel as comfortable as you possibly could under the circumstances. Obviously everything I do doesn't mean a thing to you." He finished his rant with a heavy breath, gave her a final glare, then spun around left the bathroom.

Lorelai was momentarily stunned into silence. She hadn't expected Luke to rant at her so much like that. Whereas she usually loved ranting Luke, the one he had just displayed made her heart ache a little; of course the things Luke do mean something to her, they mean more than he'll ever know. She quickly came back to reality and realised that Luke was stomping down the stairs in an anger induced haze, suddenly having the overwhelming urge to stop him.

"Luke, wait!" she called as she hurried after him, her towel slipping slightly as she went. She clung onto it a little tighter then rushed after him down the stairs.

"I'm leaving Lorelai," he said angrily. "Your breakfast is on the nightstand." He strode out of the house and Lorelai was set to follow him, but remembered that she only had a towel wrapped around her and she was still soaked from her shower. It probably wasn't a good idea running after Luke through her front yard barefoot, wrapped only in a towel, with Babette watching from her living room window. No, she simply let him go, watching from her front door as he scurried back to the diner. She'd just have to fix it later.

XXXX

"Mom!" exclaimed Rory as she flew into her mother's arms that evening after she'd gotten home from school. The girls jumped up and down while they hugged, surreptitiously bumping body parts as they went. "I'm so glad you're okay," she gushed as they pulled away. Lorelai grasped her daughter's lower arms and grinned widely.

"I'm fine," she assured her. "I missed you so much, kid."

"I missed you too," she admitted. "I felt so sorry for you, and I was really worried. Swine flu can be deadly, people have died already."

"I'm one of the survivors," she chuckled, pulling Rory in for another hug. "Did you have fun at Lane's?"

"Well I didn't really spend much time there," she said thoughtfully. "When I wasn't at school, sleeping or eating Mrs Kim's tofurkey, I was around town stuffing my face with real food." Lorelai giggled.

"You know, I've been wanting to do the exact same thing this past week," she told her. "Luke's been feeding me chicken soup and salad, I swear if I see another tomato, I'm gonna freak out." Rory giggled.

"So Luke's been round a lot, huh?" Lorelai instantly felt her guard go up, and she avoiding looking directly at Rory.

"Yeah," she answered. "Pretty much every day, he brought me food and stuff," she said nonchalantly. "Anyway, I was thinking Chinese tonight." Rory narrowed her eyes at her mother's abrupt subject change, but went along with it anyway.

"Hmm, I don't know," she shrugged. "I kinda fancy a Luke's burger, and some coffee would be nice." Lorelai focussed on the floor. When she said she was gonna fix things with him later, she didn't expect later to come around so quickly.

"Um...I think Luke's is closed," she lied.

"What? No it's not, I just walked past on my way home from the bus stop," she argued. Lorelai rolled her eyes.

"Luke's got swine flu too," she fibbed. "And Caesar's burgers aren't as good as Luke's so there's no point in going." Rory looked at Lorelai suspiciously for a moment or two, before sighing and shaking her head.

"Man, you really want this Chinese food don't you?" she chuckled. Lorelai thought she'd been busted then, but quickly shook out of her haze and nodded along.

"Oh yeah, bring on the Kung Po chicken," she ordered. The girls collapsed onto the couch and proceeded to order their take out, the spat Luke seemingly forgotten.

XXXX

Later that night, around nine, Rory had gone to her room to study for some test at school, leaving Lorelai to her own devices. She was sprawled out on the couch, trying to get into a repeat of Dawson's Creek, but she couldn't get Luke out of her mind. His face earlier that day had cut through her like a knife; he was so angry, and all she wanted to do was get things back to normal.

She sighed as she focussed on the characters of the show again, but after a minute or two, her mind wandered to Luke again. She wondered what he was doing right now, probably asleep, she thought. She sat up straight on the couch and tapped her fingers on her knees, before standing up and striding towards her daughter's room and making up some story about needing mallomars. Within five minutes, she was walking through the darkened streets of Stars Hollow, with only one destination in mind.

The lights were off in the diner when she approached, but being one of the few people who knew where the spare key was; she let herself in and locked the door behind her. She stopped just before the curtain, taking a moment to take a deep breath and think over what she was gonna say to him, before going through and climbing the stairs quickly.

A tapping on the door brought Luke out of his thoughts as he cradled his beer in his hands. The tapping turned into banging as the person on the other end became more impatient. He knew there were only two or three people who knew where the spare key was, and out of those people, he had a pretty good idea of which would be knocking on his door at nine o clock at night. He inhaled sharply as he swung the door open, only to be met by Lorelai's frustrated face.

"Lorel..."

"Of course I care Luke," she yelled as she barged past him into the small apartment. "You think I don't appreciate everything you do for Rory and I? Do you really think I'm that self centred, that I don't realise just how much you actually do for me? I mean, I didn't ask you to come round every day for the last week, you chose to do that, and I didn't ask you to carry me to the bathroom and hold my hair back, or to clean my sheets after I threw up all over them," she listed. "I didn't ask you to make me a whole bunch of healthy foods to keep me going all week, you did it all yourself." She paused for a moment to take a breath, before softening her voice. "And I'm grateful for that Luke, I really am. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't have been there for me, I would have starved, that's for sure, but you kept me company too, you kept me from going completely insane with just the same four walls to look at all day." She lowered her head, choosing to look at the floor because his gaze was becoming too intense. "To think that you really believe that I don't care, it hurts me Luke," she murmured. "We've been friends for so long, I count you as one of my best friends and I care about you so much, but you think all I care about is myself and..."

Luke had slowly been advancing on her throughout the last part of her speech, but she hadn't noticed because she'd been looking at the floor the whole time. He stopped when he was right in front of her, and tipped her chin up with his fingers as she continued to babble away. That's when he left a kiss right on her lips, cutting her off mid-rant. "Luke," she murmured as she pulled away abruptly. "What are you...?"

"It was the only way to shut you up," he chuckled. Lorelai didn't even crack a smile though, there were too many thoughts running through her brain, she couldn't function properly. He noticed she seemed to be in a world of her own, and gave her a small nudge with his elbow. "I know you care," he said, oh so quietly. His hands moved so they were planted on her waist, and his fingers moved in lazy circles over her jacket.

"Um..." She shook her head to clear it, and looked up at him again, seeing the adoration in his blue eyes. "I can't um..."

"I wasn't gonna ask you if you wanted to play cards for money," he admitted quietly, as he stared right into her bright blue orbs, that were currently filled with confusion.

"Huh?" she asked, still in a bit of a daze from his intense kiss. "I mean, I...I know," she muttered.

"You know?" Lorelai nodded as he hands came up to rest on his chest.

"We were talking about first dates, and the whole beginning of the relationship thing," she recalled. "And Sookie and Jackson were laughing at something, I happened to say something about wanting a relationship like that, and you...you were gonna ask me out, right then," she said knowingly. "But Mrs Kim walked in and ruined the whole thing, Lane was at the movies, there was no need to..." Luke cut her off with another kiss again, and this time, she became an active participant. He pulled away this time and smiled down at her.

"Can't believe how well that works," he chuckled. "If I'd have known five years ago that kissing you like that would get you to stop talking, I would've done it a long time ago."

"Why didn't you?" she asked as she moved her arms tighter around his neck, toying with the curls sticking out under his baseball cap. Luke shrugged.

"There was never a right time," he said.

"I'm glad this is happening now," she whispered as she moved in to kiss him again. Their lips moved teasingly over one another, before Luke brushed his tongue along her bottom lip. When she parted her lips as an invitation, he broke the kiss and looked down into her eyes. "Tease," she murmured.

"So uh...the other day when you told me that you would've said yes to the money thing," he said thoughtfully.

"Hmm."

"Did you mean that you'd have said yes if I'd have asked you out that night?" Lorelai glanced up at him, before nodding wordlessly and smirking slightly.

"Is that the answer you were looking for?" she asked teasingly.

"God yes," he muttered before moving in to kiss her again. He began to slowly walk them backwards in the direction of the bed, never breaking the kiss along the way. When the back of her legs came into contact with the bed frame, he stopped walking and held her close to him as he left her lips and began assaulting her neck instead.

"Luke," she murmured as he hands ran up and down his back, desperate for more contact. "Rory...mallomars," she said as she tugged at his shirt desperately.

"What?" he asked, his lips never leaving her neck.

"I told Rory I was going to get mallomars," she clarified. "She's gonna be expecting me home soon." She frowned as Luke removed his lips from her skin and came face to face with her.

"Can't you call her and tell her you're at Sookie's or something?" Lorelai thought for a moment.

"I guess," she said uncertainly. "I feel bad lying to her." Luke reached over to the nightstand and handed her the cordless phone, before sitting on the edge of the bed and pulling her down to sit next to him.

"Call her," he told her. "Tell her you're here," he shrugged. "She'll think you're just getting coffee." Lorelai nodded and took the phone from him. She dialled the familiar number to her house, and waited for Rory to pick up the phone.

"Hey sweets, listen, I made a pit-stop at the diner for some coffee," she said. "So I won't be home for a little while yet. Okay, okay I will, love you babe." She hung up the phone and smiled slyly at Luke. "She's not gonna wait up for me," she said happily. "But she said I owe her a cup of coffee cause she missed out." Luke nodded.

"Totally understandable," he chuckled before leaning towards her again. He brushed his tongue along her lip again and this time, he followed through, massaging her tongue with his as their kiss intensified. She wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him further up on the bed, until she was lying down and he was hovering above her. "You okay with this?" he asked as he pulled back to look at her. She stroked his stubbly cheek with her fingers and smiled brightly.

"You bet I am," she replied before pushing him over so he was lying on his back. She crawled up and straddled his hips, feeling his growing arousal through the rough denim of his jeans as she settled down on him. She began unfastening the buttons on his flannel with shaking hands, finding it difficult to get them through the holes. When the task had been successfully completed, Luke sat upright so she was straddling his lap, allowing her to push the shirt down his arms.

Luke took the opportunity to remove her jacket, tossing it to an unknown destination as he began sucking on her neck. Lorelai moaned when he bit her skin lightly, before soothing it with his warm tongue.

"Luke," she sighed as she tugged at the hem of his t-shirt. "Why do you wear so many clothes?" she asked in frustration. Luke moved his lips away from her neck and raised his hands above his head so she could remove his t-shirt. She did the same, and soon they were both topless, except for Lorelai's bra.

The skin on skin contact was enough to send them both raging, and the scrambled to change their positions so they could remove their pants. Both clad in just underwear, they moved back together, Lorelai on top, as their hands roamed over each other's exposed skin, both parties revelling in the feel of it beneath their fingers.

"So beautiful," Luke murmured as he trailed a line of kisses along her collarbone and down into the valley between her breasts. Lorelai moaned when his hands came up to cup her lace covered breasts, and he teased her nipples through the thin material.

"So good," she breathed as he unhooked her bra and pulled her chest down to his questing lips. He laved each one with attention, giving each areola an equal amount, before she pulled back and grinned down at him devilishly. "It's not all about me," she said as she raked her nails through the soft dusting of hair on his chest. Luke groaned as she kissed her way down his chest, stopping to dip her tongue into his navel, the hovered above the cotton covered part of him she longed to see.

"Lorelai," he moaned as she ran her fingers along the outside of his boxers teasingly, then wrapping her hand around his head. "Uh."

"I wanna see you," she said as she hooked her fingers into the waistband of his boxers and pulled them down tantalizingly slowly, until they were at his knees. He kicked them off the rest of the way and watched as her eyes darkened while she drank in the sight of him naked. "I can't believe you keep a body like this hidden under layers of plaid," she said in disbelief. She shook her head, before taking her attention back to his throbbing erection, and wrapping her fingers around it slowly.

"Oh Lorelai," he moaned, as she began moving her hand up and down rhythmically. It wasn't long before her mouth became a part of the mix, and she was sucking on him hungrily. Luke gasped when he felt that he was close, and pulled her off of him. "I need you," he said before he settled her on her back and moved down so he was staring at her glistening folds.

He put a finger to her entrance and could feel the heat radiating from her centre. He bit down on his bottom lip as he parted her, and thrust his finger up.

"Oh my god," she cried as he repeated the motion. She ground against his hand, desperate for more friction. She almost lost it when his other hand came up to rub her clit, sending waves of pleasure coursing through her. "Luke," she moaned as she felt her climax building. He could tell she was close from the way her walls were tightening around his fingers, and he quickly withdrew them, causing Lorelai to whimper at the loss of contact.

"Oh," she said in surprise as his tongue darted out and ran across her folds. He took her clit into his mouth and sucked hungrily, making her hips buck up and circle uncontrollably. "Luke," she cried as she broke apart. She circled her hips faster as she rode out the waves of pleasure shooting through her, and sighed happily when she'd recovered. "You're good," she giggled as he moved up her body to kiss her.

"Glad you think so," he replied smugly. Lorelai took a moment to glance up at him, only to find him looking back with what she could have sworn was love.

"Make love to me, Mr Danes," she whispered. Luke needed no further invitation; he positioned himself at her entrance and brushed his tip against her folds teasingly, before pushing into her slowly and steadily. Lorelai sighed when he was fully sheathed in her, and both adults remained still for a while, both enjoy their newfound intimacy.

When Lorelai began to squirm below him, Luke took the hint and pulled out of her halfway, before going back in at a sickeningly slow pace. Lorelai moaned repeatedly as he continued to move with the same slow rhythm, and moved her hands down to cup his ass, pulling her deeper inside of her. She ground up into him, rubbing her clit against the base of his shaft. Luke was fuelled by her moans and pulled completely out of her, before plunging back in with a bit more speed.

The pace continued to quicken as they both tried to reach their peaks, both clinging to each other desperately. Lorelai wrapped her legs around his hips, finding that the new angle provided her with more pleasure. She soon felt her orgasm taking over her and shouted Luke's name over and over as the waves washed over her.

Luke felt her tightening around him, trying to milk him of everything he had to offer her. He took her to the place she was desperate to reach, and he wasn't far behind. After another couple of desperate thrusts, he felt his climax rip through him and he grunted as he began to spurt into her. Lorelai moaned as he filled her with his warmth, and they both came down together.

"That was amazing," she sighed as they lay in their post-coital positions.

"Hell yeah," he agreed before turning onto his side and brushing a lock of tangled hair away from her face. "I'm glad you're feeling better," he said. "I hated seeing you so helpless."

"You made me feel a whole lot better," she said flirtatiously, throwing her leg over his and rubbing his thigh with her foot. "Remind me to get swine flu more often." Luke chuckled and pulled her closer to him, if that were possible.

Yes, the swine flu may have been the worst disease Lorelai had ever experienced, but if she could go back in time, she wouldn't change the fact that she'd caught it. Because then she wouldn't be lying in bed with Luke Danes right now after the most mind blowing sex she'd ever had. No, she was grateful to the pigs for giving it to her, but wait, it has nothing to do with pigs though, does it?

**I really hope you enjoyed this mini-fic, I really enjoyed writing it, even though I kinda lost track of it for a while. Anyway, please review, I would really love to know what you thought :D **

**Another story finished! Just 'A Long Lost Mother' and then I can focus on my two favourites **** Don't forget to review!**

**Emily.**


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